Serious spinal cord injuries (SCI) affect approximately 1.3 million people in the United States, and roughly 12-15,000 new injuries occur each year. Of these injuries, approximately 50% are complete spinal cord injuries in which there is essentially total loss of sensory motor function below the level of the spinal lesion.
Paralysis of the upper limbs results in an enormous loss of independence of one's daily life. Meaningful improvement in hand function is generally rare after one year of tetraparesis.